Three of us form a pyramid and a fourth
is hoisted; a traverse of the rising
ridge ahead is attempted, cutting through

gully, rib, fang. Sunset’s long years
play a film undersea. Now our particularity
is beholden to a familiar angle.
We’ll recognize everyone, at long last.

(This poem originally appeared in Vallum 12:1 “Surrender” with the title “Family Heirlooms”)

Nyla Matuk’s first full-length collection is Sumptuary Laws (2012). Her poems have appeared in, or are forthcoming in, The Walrus, Hazlitt, Best Canadian Poetry in English 2012, Maisonneuve, New Poetries VI (Carcanet Press, 2015) and PN Review, among others. She was twice a finalist for the Walrus Poetry Prize and Sumptuary Laws was shortlisted for the Gerald Lampert Memorial Award for a best first book of poetry in Canada.

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About Vallum Staff

Vallum: Contemporary Poetry was established in 2000 by Joshua Auerbach and Eleni (Helen) Zisimatos. Leigh Kotsilidis has been the managing editor since 2013. Defying all the odds, Vallum is publishing proudly in Montreal, bringing its readers (that would be you) the best in international poetry and reviews, proving again and again that poetry is alive and well!